Ski resort snowmakers gearing up for 2012-13 ski season

Snowmakers throughout the region are working full speed ahead in preparation for planned openings on Thanksgiv ing Weekend.

Weather permitting, skiing and riding is scheduled to begin at Whiteface and Gore mountains on Friday, Nov. 23

At Whiteface, snowmaking has been added to the Hoyt's High Trail, and a new groomer and several new low-energy snowmaking guns have been purchased.

Gore Mountain has upgraded its grooming fleet with a new winch cat, a new free groomer and a new multi-season tractor. Last year the North Creek resort added 160 new high-efficiency tower guns.

Gore's sundeck has also been resurfaced with a natural color scheme, and a radiant heat system beneath the deck has been replaced to melt snow and eliminates ice.

In Vermont, Killington welcomed its first customers on Oct. 13 with limited terrain open. The resort now has nine trails and two lifts running with a 24-inch base.

Killington is the Northeast's largest ski and snowboard resort. This year, it has made a significant commitment to renewable energy by powering its K-1 Express Gondola with electricity generated directly from cows on Vermont dairy farms.

The initiative was made possible through Killing ton's enrollment in Green Mountain Power's "Cow Power" program that enables customers to purchase all or part of their electricity at a premium and support Vermont's dairy farms in the process.

The program has been under development for the past 10 years. Farms collect cow manure throughout the day, mixing it with wash water from the milking equipment which is then pumped into an anaerobic digester.

The slurry flows through a digester for about three weeks at 100 degrees Fahrenheit allowing bacteria to convert the manure into biogas, about 60 percent methane and 40 percent carbon dioxide. The biogas is then delivered to a modified natural gas engine, which drives an electric generator to create electricity. Finally, the energy generated is fed onto the GMP electrical system that ultimately powers the K-1 Express Gondola.

"Large customers like Killington Resort with significant demand can make important contributions to the continued development of this innovative renewable resource," said Mary Po well, Green Mountain Power's president and CEO. "Through their investment, they will help us continue to expand the GMP Cow Power program making this opportunity available to more Vermont dairy farms. These farms are the backbone of Vermont's agricultural economy."